


Home Alone

by aliciutza



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arya is Kevin but more awesome, Dany and Jon are young and cute, F/M, Jonerys Monthly Events, Jonerys Secret Santa, Just Roll With It, Modern Westeros, also jon is the actual kid of ned and cat fight me, and by modern I mean the 90s, i dont think so, it's a feel good christmas fic, take a shot everytime I incorporate actual diaologue from the movie, take two shote for every GoT pun I make, this is the Home Alone AU no one asked for except me and my lovely giftee here, would Home Alone even happen in 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-28 02:13:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17173898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aliciutza/pseuds/aliciutza
Summary: You read that right, this is a Home Alone AU - Arya is Kevin and she finds herself alone at Christmas. Not only is she super clever, but she also manages to make Jonerys happen!Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays for the entire jonerys fam! Hope you like it!!! I had a lot of fun writing it !





	Home Alone

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Missreykenobi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missreykenobi/gifts).



> Merry Christmas, Jud! It is I, your Jonerys Secret Santa. This fic was inspired by the classic 90s Christmas movie – Home Alone – as you told me this is one of your favourite Christmas movies. I used some of the ridiculousness from it, and despite the fact that it’s mostly from Arya’s POV, it is still a jonerys-centric fic, promise. 
> 
> A big thank you to [LustOnMyFingers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LustOnMyFingers/pseuds/LustOnMyFingers) for reading this over and helping out with some plot stuff in the beginning, as always she is an angel!

 

Last year was the first time she decided she hated Christmas – the commotion, the craziness, the never-ending family preparations and dinners, Sansa constantly bossing her around, Jon and Bran being too busy or tired to train with her, her mom making her babysit Rickon because she was too busy with either shopping or other Christmas preparations, her dad working overtime just to be able to take off three weeks at Christmas, and just everyone finding random chores to make her do.

 

When her parents announced that the entire Stark family (uncle Benjen and his wife included) and half of the Tully clan were to go on a trip around Essos for three weeks and spend Christmas there, she was relieved, foolishly thinking it would make her life easier. Oh she couldn’t have been more wrong. The fact that they were to leave on Christmas Eve meant that everything had to be ready before that, and they still had to buy presents (although the budget was much lower this year) and other things they would need in Essos, starting with much lighter clothes they didn’t have any need for in the cold North.

 

The daily trips to the mall were getting exasperating, not just because she had to actually try on clothes, but also because Sansa wanted to find the perfect present for their parents. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to gift her parents anything, but it took two weeks of being dragged for hours through the mall before she finally found it, although Arya could not remember at all what it was that her sister had bought in the end as a present _from all of them (even if only her, Robb and Jon had paid for it)_. Her usual avoiding manoeuvres and buffers had no effect on her sister; Robb, who was so good at distracting Sansa from picking on her, had been out of the house most of the time, sucking face with Margaery before they left for their trip to Essos. Even Jon, her favourite brother, was busy until the day of the trip, volunteering at the dog shelter – for no other reason but that’s who he was, always finding things to busy himself with. Bran had actually signed up with Jon, finally being old enough to do so.

 

So there she was, stuck in Rickon’s room, her feet sore from wandering through the mall, making sure he didn’t run into the furniture or fell down the stairs. Except this once she was grateful to not be downstairs, where her mom had made a big packing station to make sure nothing got left behind. The only problem was that she was getting hungry, somehow everyone in the house deciding to finish packing first.

 

“Arya, I am placing an order for pizza – what do you want?” her dad’s voice beamed from downstairs.

 

She pushed the door open with her foot, careful to distract Rickon from wanting to see their dad, “I just want a cheese pizza, dad,” she yelled back.

 

“Got it! I’ll call for you when it’s here!”

 

Thankfully, the food didn’t take long to get to the house, and soon she was called downstairs to eat. It was chaos, some suitcases still opened, the table full of pizza boxes and everyone seemed to just be eating standing up, talking or just finishing up the last of their itinerary. She looked through the boxes but none of the left pizzas seemed to be hers. Then she saw it – Sansa sitting at the table, eating what looked to be the last piece of her favourite pizza.

 

“Hey that’s mine-“ before she realised, she made to snatch the piece from her sister’s grasp, but what she failed to see was Rickon coming up from under the table. It was too late to stop herself from colliding with his small form, the force pushing him back onto Sansa, just as she was about to drink from her glass. They moved at once to catch their baby brother – and three things happened at the same time: she landed face flat on the floor, Rickon started wailing and Sansa screamed.

 

“ARYA STARK!” her mom’s voice broke through Rickon’s sobs, now safely tucked in their dad’s arms.

 

 _Oh no_ – she knew that tone a bit too well.

 

“Can you for one minute just behave and do as you’re told?” her mom glared at her. “I gave you one simple task – watch your brother so I can make our suitcases so we can go on this family trip. And now you’ve been downstairs for a minute and you managed to make Rickon cry and spill Sansa’s drink all over the table?” her stern tone carried over the toddler’s wails. 

 

She didn’t say anything, her face burning in guilt, not for making Sansa spill her drink, but because Rick got hurt and was still crying. Then Sansa just had to make a snide remark.

 

“Ugh, mom, why do you even bother, you know she is just incorrigible! She should have eaten upstairs; I don’t know why you even called her.”

 

The blood was boiling in her veins. “HOW DARE YOU?” she yelled, her hands up in the air of their own accord. “After everything I do for you and you still yell at me? Why aren’t you the one babysitting? I HATE YOU!”

 

The room went quiet, all eyes on her – “That’s enough, Arya, go to your room,” her mother said, using the tone she used when she wanted Bran to clean up his room.

 

“I have no room!!! Remember, you made me move so Uncle Blackfish can sleep there?!”

 

“Just go, and you’re not allowed to come back downstairs until we call you.”

 

“This house is so full of people it makes me sick!” she stomped. “When I grow up and get married I’m living alone!”

 

“Arya, now,” her dad commanded in a calm voice.

 

“I wish you would all disappear since no one around here ever pays attention to me!” and with that, she went to her room, despite the gasps she heard from her family and the ‘ _such a drama queen_ ’ from her sister.  She slammed the door and slumped on her makeshift bed, tears prickling her eyes, stomach still grumbling, wishing she had no family at all.

 

 

She turned on her side, her entire body aching from the now-deflated air mattress. She groaned and rubbed the back of her neck, hoping to relieve some of the tension. And then it hit her – complete and utter silence. There were no voices coming from downstairs, no commotion from the bathroom, no yelling from Rickon or laughing from her dad and uncle. It was just quiet. Too quiet. She groggily made her way downstairs. On her way, she stopped by her room, her parents’ bedroom, even Sansa’s. The beds were messy and unmade, yet the kitchen was as quiet as the rest of the house. She even checked the garage only to find the cars missing. And then it hit her, “I made my family disappear!”

 

So she did what any kid who found themselves home alone for the first time would – she threw herself a house party. She turned the stereo on and blasted her favourite band – her mom not there to yell at her to turn it down; she snooped in Sansa’s room and found her diary – in it she just kept professing for entire pages her love for a dude named Willas – if only Sansa were around, she could endlessly tease her about her – “Oh my gods!!! Are these actual love letters she wrote him?!”

 

Next she rummaged through Jon’s room – but the only thing she found were some poems he wrote to a nameless girl with ‘eyes like the sky at dusk’. When she got bored or that, she found her mom’s fancy perfume and used it on herself. Deciding she liked it, she proceeded to spray it in the entire house. Her stomach started grumbling, remembering she had skipped dinner the night before. She put on her mom’s bathrobe and went to prepare the biggest bowl of banana split, complete with _a lot_ of chocolate sauce and a sprinkle of fruit loops. She sat in her dad’s favourite chair and put on Jon’s favourite gangster movie.

 

She ate, but anxiety was slowly brewing inside her heart. She shook her head, forcing herself to enjoy her alone time. “Guys, I’m eating junk and watching rubbish! You better come out and stop me!” she yelled. Yet nothing happened, so she continued eating, trying her hardest not to worry.

 

She heard a car outside and next she knew the doorbell rang. She got up as fast as she could, thinking her family came back for her, but stopped short of opening it when she heard the muffled voices of two men arguing. Her heart was in her throat and her ears were ringing. Her mom’s warning came back to her as if on cue, _‘never open the door to anyone by yourself’_. She stilled and slowly backed away from the door, went up the first few steps, careful to not make much noise. “Moooooom, someone’s at the door!” she did her best not to sound scared. The voices stopped, so she pushed further, “Mom do you want me to get it instead?” More shuffling came from outside and then she heard the engine coming back to life and driving away from the house. She slumped on the stairs, finally able to breathe again. _It had to be someone bad, right? Good people would not be driven away by hearing voices inside a house, right? If they had good intentions they would have waited for her to get the door, wouldn’t they?_

 

She got up and went to the living room window – just as she peeked outside, she was met by old Stannis’ grumpy face from across the street. She jumped and ran under her parents’ bed, screaming all the way there. _Had it been him outside her door?_ Her friends in school had told her the stories – how he murdered his family and now he had a taste for blood. But that couldn’t be right – there were at least two people outside her door, and she was sure there was a car; no, it wasn’t Old Man Stannis. Arya made up her mind then and there, so she got out from under the bed, “This is my house. I have to defend it.” Next time the bad men came, she would be prepared for them.

 

She went to her room and changed out form her direwolves PJs, raided her piggybank for money, and went out to get herself a tree – there could be no Christmas without a Christmas tree, and she knew just the place to get it.

 

She went into the shed, got a saw and a ladder, and made for the park behind her house. She rounded the trees a few times, until she found the perfect one – got up on the ladder, and started sawing. Once the tree was down, she started pulling on it, taking many breaks in between, since the tree was much heavier than she had expected. When she finally got it inside, she just pushed it into the living room and leaned it against the fireplace. She would decorate it after she came back from the store, the short trip from the park exhausting her. She then turned on the lights in the kitchen and living room, along with the house decorations, and made sure the door was locked. She needed some supplies if she was to guard the house until she got her family back.

 

The street was busy with last minute shoppers and people hurrying to get to their families in time for Christmas. As she was about to enter the mall, she saw Santa putting things in the trunk of an old car.

 

“Santa?” she asked in a small voice.

 

“Oh, hey little girl… err… I’m sorry, Santa has finished his shift. I need to go back home so I can start distributing gifts tonight,” the old man looked her over, his eyes kind but he looked a bit worried.

 

“I won’t take too long. I know that you're not the real Santa. I'm old enough to know how it works," she said.

 

“All right, lass,” the stand-in Santa smiled warmly and kneeled.

 

“But I also know that you work for him. I'd like for you to give him a message.”

 

“Shoot.”

 

“I'm Arya Stark. Instead of presents this year, I just want my family back. No toys, no presents... and if he has time, my Uncle Blackfish too.”

 

“Alright, Arya Stark. I will tell him your message. Wait”, he got up and patted his red suit, “My elf took the last of the candy canes home to send to her family.”

 

“That’s ok,” Arya replied with a sad smile.

 

“No, don’t be silly. Everybody who sees Santa has got to get something,” the old man said, still searching his pockets for something to give her. “Ah here,” he took out a small wooden stag, “for you. I made it for my niece, but I think you need him more. He is a special stag this one, he will defend you from evil men.”

 

She took the wooden toy and turned it over, amazed by the details it displayed. “Oh I can’t possibly accept this, what about your niece?”

 

“I have something else for her too, don’t you worry about it. Keep it.”

 

She smiled and thanked Santa, then went inside the store. She safely tucked the stag in her pocket, then started putting things she needed in her cart – mostly junk food but also some lemon cakes, because she wanted to surprise Sansa, in case she ever came back, and a few toiletries. She unloaded her stuff on the counter and stopped in front of the cashier. The lady looked at her groceries and then at her, her brows scrunched up, “Are you here by yourself?”

 

 _Confidence is the key, you’ve got this._ “Ma’am, I’m 8 years old. You think I’d be here alone?” she looked her straight in the eye and said, “I don’t think so.”

 

The woman didn’t reply, but kept staring, so she picked up the toothbrush, “Is this toothbrush approved by the Westerosi Dental Association?” she asked, waving it in her face. 

 

“How would I know?” the lady shrugged and then proceeded to scan her items and bag them.

 

 _That was close_ , Arya thought to herself. She stalled a bit more in the mall, just window shopping, and she couldn’t help but think of her family – _had her wish come true? Had they just vanished into thin air? Had they just left her? Would they ever come back for her?_ She shook her head, it would do no good to dwell on it – she had a house to defend and a Christmas dinner to prepare. The best she could do was hope Santa got her message and he would bring her family back. By the third store she stopped at, her mood had soured, and she could not shake the feeling of being watched. Paranoia settled in and she decided to hurry back home.

 

It was already getting darker, despite being not even 5PM, and her arms were hurting from her bags. As she passed by the houses in her neighbourhood, her heart ached at the happy families she could see through the windows, all gathered around the table, or the fireplace, sharing food and swapping gifts. Tears gathered in her eyes and she never felt more alone. So she took a detour to the small neighbourhood Sept; it wouldn’t hurt passing her wish along to the New Gods too. She stepped in and took a seat on one of the wooden benches in the back. The choir was rehearsing for the Christmas mass taking place later that evening – she closed her eyes, enjoying the beautiful carols, remembering of how she would sing the same songs with her siblings. They used to sing them together, even Rickon would babble some, she even had a song with Sansa; but her favourite was the one she would always sing with Jon. The tears were freely falling on her cheeks now, “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

 

“Merry Christmas,” a voice startled her.

 

She looked up, Old Man Stannis was smiling at her. She sniffled and wiped her tears with the sleeve of her jacket. “Merry Christmas,” she mustered back.

 

He glanced at the bench, “May I sit down?”

 

She nodded and scooted over to let him join her. He put a napkin in her lap and she quickly took it to blow her nose.

 

“See that little girl,” his voice was strong, yet somehow she wasn’t afraid of him anymore. She searched for the girl he was pointing to, she smiled to them and gave a small wave. Arya waved back. “She is my daughter,” he added, “she’s about your age. You know her?”

 

Arya shook her head.

 

“You live across the street, don’t you?” Arya nodded, still a bit afraid. “You can say hello. You don't have to be afraid. There's a lot of things going around about me, don’t believe them. Been a good girl this year?”

 

“I think so,” Arya replied.

 

The old neighbour turned to her, “Swear to it?”

 

She sighed, “No.”

 

His right eyebrow shot up, “I had a feeling,” he chuckled. “Then this is the place to be if you feel bad about yourself.”

 

“It is?”

 

“I think so.”

 

“Are you feeling bad about yourself,” Arya asked back.

 

“No,” he grimaced.

 

“I've been kind of a pain lately. I've said some things I shouldn't have,” she shook her head, remembering how she wished her family would disappear, guilt gnawing at her like an annoying pug would at her foot. “I really haven't been too good this year. I’m kinda upset about it because I really like my family, even if sometimes I say I don’t. Sometimes I even think I don’t.” She chanced a look at the old man. “Do you get that?”

 

“I think so. How you feel about your family is a complicated thing.”

 

“Especially with an older sister,” Arya added, reflecting on her difficult relationship with Sansa.

 

“Deep down, you always love them, even if you sometimes forget that you love them and you hurt them like they hurt you. And that’s not just because you’re young.”

 

Suddenly she felt bad for having believed the rumours about her neighbour; she should have known better – she had no excuse for being rude and not even saying hi to him.

 

“I’m sorry I have been rude, you’re kinda cool.”

 

He chuckled. “You’re not so bad yourself. Come by to say hi to my little girl. You two would be great friends, I can tell.”

 

“Promise. Merry Christmas, Mr. Baratheon.”

 

“Merry Christmas.”

 

 

She was almost home when her bags gave out and broke, spilling their contents on the sidewalk. “Just… great,” she mumbled to herself. She was so busy with collecting her groceries that she didn’t hear the snow crunching under the boots of a lone person.

 

“You’re Arya Stark, right?”

 

She froze, toothbrush in hand, and a bag of frozen lemon cakes in the other. The figure kneeled next to her and started picking up the rest of her stuff. She turned, swallowing her fear down, “Y-yes?”

 

“I have been looking everywhere for you,” she replied. Arya turned to see a blonde girl with violet eyes smiling at her. She pushed her hand, “I’m Daenerys, but you can call me Dany.”

 

She shook her hand, “I guess you already know my name.”

 

“Here, I’ll walk you to your house,” she kindly offered.

 

“Oh, no no no, I am fine thank you,” she blurted.

 

“Umm… Arya, I meant to ask,” Dany put the last of her groceries in her big handbag, “Are you home alone?”

 

“What? No, me? Home alone? Pfff like my parents would allow it…” she racked her brain for a plausible lie.

 

“Because if you were, I would totally keep you company tonight. You know, I just moved here this semester and I don’t have any friends yet. My family is still in Essos and I am spending Christmas by myself.”

 

“I… I…”

 

“Tell you what, I’ll come drop you off first, and you can think about it on the way there. Deal?”

 

She smiled, “deal.”

 

They walked in silence until she could see her house in the distance. “So how do you know my name, anyway?” Arya finally asked.

 

“I know your brother, Jon,” she said shyly, and Arya could swear she saw her cheeks go red. “Although I don’t think he knows me.”

 

“How come?” Arya was intrigued. _So she knew her brother but he didn’t know her? How was it possible? Should she trust this Dany?_

 

“We go to the same high school. I have seen him around a lot, but I guess I am much too new to have friends, and well, I am also very shy. I… I just haven’t had the courage to say hi to him… yet.” This time she was sure – Dany was as red as a Christmas Star. “Also, I was the elf working with Davos, I was coming back to give him my costume when I heard you talking to him. He is the best Santa out there, you know? If there’s anyone who could deliver your message to the real Santa, it’s him.”

 

If she were honest with herself, Arya did feel very lonely. So she decided to invite Dany in, not only because she was also alone at Christmas, but also because two against two was better – if she was to defend the Stark house. “Dany, I have decided. You will spend Christmas with me.”

 

Dany squealed and pulled her in a hug and she melted into it, feeling less lonely than she had just a few hours before. She unlocked the door and let Dany in, securely locking it after them.

 

“Dany, there are three things you should know,” she inhaled deeply, deciding to come clean before the bad people came and found them unprepared. “One – I made my family disappear and I don’t know whether they’re coming back; two – we need to design a plan to defend my house because some bad people came by thins morning and I am sure they will come back.”

 

Dany frowned, “What’s the third thing?”

 

Arya braced herself on the counter, “I totally don’t know how to cook.”

 

They burst out into laughter so hard, they had tears in their eyes. “I can totally help with at least two of those things. As for the third one, well, Christmas miracles happen a lot…”

 

Thus Dany prepared a small dinner for the two of them, using the things her mom had in the pantry, along with the groceries Arya had bought. She studied her closely, paying attention to the measurements, just in case this was not her only Christmas home alone. Still, she kept faith, trusting Davos would pass on her message, and that her family would come back to her.

 

With dinner in the oven, and the small gifts she had bought for her family wrapped, they concocted a plan, covering all the entrances and potential ways someone could sneak in the house, as well as fail safes, in case those plans failed. With the windows and doors bolted, they turned on all the lights, put on some Christmas music and started setting the table.

 

They had just brought out the food when a loud bang came from the front door. They stilled and stared at each other, afraid to even move. Loud groans followed soon, and Arya swore she heard her name.

 

“Arya, wait!” Dany called after her in a hushed voice, but she was already darting to the front door. Two ‘burglars’ as Dany called them wouldn’t know her name… which meant… she frantically started undoing all the front door booby traps, her hands shaking in anticipation – _could it actually be?_ She finally undid the bolt and swung the door open. On the front steps, on his back and groaning in pain, was her favourite brother.

 

“Jon!” she flung herself on top of him, wanting to make sure it was really him and that it wasn’t some trick.

 

“A-Arya… gods’ sake… are you trying to kill me?” he hugged her closer.

 

“I am so so so sorry, I swear I will be good from now on, please don’t ever disappear on me!” she was actually sobbing, soaking her brother’s scarf and not sure he could even understand her words in between hiccups.

 

He sat up and pulled her closer, “It’s ok, I am sorry, we are all sorry – we didn’t realise you were not with us until we were in White Harbour and we tried calling and the phone is not working and-” she pulled back to see why Jon had stopped only to see Dany standing by the front door, teary smile and a slight flush on her face.

 

She sniffled, “Jon, this is my friend, Dany. She is also home alone and I invited her over.” Her brother’s face got so red, even the points of his ears were flushed.

 

“I-I... I’m Jon, nice to meet you.”

 

Dany smiled back, “Likewise.”

 

It was then it all clicked: Jon’s poems, Dany’s violet eyes, both of them being coy, Jon looking like a lobster and Dany blushing when she spoke about how she knew she was Jon’s sister. _They liked each other!_ She internally screamed – this was her opportunity to pay Jon back for being the best brother ever. She would help him get a girlfriend. She detached herself from Jon’s arms and pulled him up. They shuffled inside, her brother still limping a bit.

 

“What did you do to the entrance, anyway?” he asked, while he was shrugging off his coat.

 

“We put water on the steps so it froze and then I rigged the knob to shock you when you touch it… sorry.”

 

To her surprise, Jon chuckled. “That was very clever indeed. My bum is still hurting from the fall I took.”

 

Dany cringed, and she gave an apologetic smile to him. “We made dinner, so maybe you can forgive us?”

 

Arya didn’t know how, but he turned even redder, “I’d like that very much, yes. I just need to wash up a bit first. I’ll be down in a bit.”

 

She quickly ran in the dining room and pulled an extra set of plates and pushed them right next to Dany’s place. _Operation Cupid_ was happening tonight. As soon as her brother came downstairs, she pushed him next to Dany and they ate, she stayed quiet, only diverting attention on Dany or on him when they would try to include her. She watched them closely as they revealed to each other some of their interests and hobbies. The more she looked at them, the more she thought they were perfect together – Dany was a petite girl, and Jon looked so tall next to her; her hair was almost white and his was almost black, even their eyes went well together; Jon would have to be with Dany, she already liked her a lot and wanted badly to have her as a sister. She knew even Sansa would like her.

 

“Wait, I’ll go for the dessert,” Arya offered when she saw Dany wanted to get up. The more moments they got alone, the better, she thought to herself. She might be young, but from what she had seen with Robb and Margaery, couples needed alone time (whatever it was they did behind closed doors, but they always seemed happier afterwards…). She ran to the kitchen and she was happy to hear their laughs resonating in the house. ‘Operation Cupid’ was going smoothly. She just needed one more thing. She sneaked back into the hallway and snatched the mistletoe hanging by the door – she ran to the living room and hung it from the chandelier, right next to her pretty Christmas tree. Now she only needed an excuse to make them move there. Then it hit her – _presents, of course_ , she slapped her forehead. She went back to the kitchen to pick up the lemon cakes and then joined Jon and Dany in the dining room.

 

“You bought lemon cakes?” Jon asked, “I thought you didn’t like them.”

 

“I…” she flustered, “I just missed Sansa, I guess… but don’t tell her I said that,” she quickly added.

 

Jon laughed. “You two need to get over your animosity, she might actually love you more for it. You know, she begged mom to let her come with me to come get you? But mom thought she would probably annoy you more if you were to see her.”

 

“Sansa wanted to come get me?”

 

“Of course, you silly wolf cub. She is your sister and she loves you.”

 

She started crying, again hating herself for wishing her family disappeared and for being mean to Sansa. She was engulfed by four strong arms. She sniffled, realising she was in a Jon and Dany hug sandwich. Without meaning to, she had brought them closer.

 

“It’s ok, we’re here now,” Dany whispered against her temple. “You can make up with your sister when you see her, ok?”

 

She nodded and hugged both of them closer. “Now let’s eat some lemon cakes and then we can open presents.”

 

“You bought presents?”

 

“Yes, silly, I thought it may help bring you all back. Dany helped me wrap them though!”

 

“Of course she did,” Jon grinned and she saw Dany try to hide a blush.

 

They ate and then moved to the tree to unwrap Jon’s present.

 

“This is for you,” she said, pushing a neatly wrapped rectangular present in his hands.

 

“Um.. Arya, where did you get the tree?”

 

“Oh, I just cut it myself from the park behind the house,” she explained.

 

“I am almost sure that is illegal, but I guess it’s the thought that counts,” he shared an amused look with Dany, who stifled a laugh. They had decorated the tree together, right after they rigged the house, and she was very proud of how it had turned out, even if it wasn’t much taller than herself, unlike the huge trees they used to have each year. Jon opened his present, but stopped, giving her a confused look.

 

“It’s a notebook, for you to write your poems in.”

 

“You write poems?” Dany chimed in.

 

Jon stuttered, “Umm… kinda.” She heard him whisper under his breath, “How do you even know that?”

 

Her plan was working perfectly. She was proud, _now onto the next phase!_

 

“Dany, since you were a last minute guest, I had no idea what to get you, but if you would just sit here,” she said, pulling her by her hand, and stopping right under the chandelier, “You will get something.”

 

“Oh you don’t have to get me anything,” Dany tried stopping her, but went willingly.

 

“Nonsense, it’s from both of us.” She then did the same with Jon. “Now, look up.” They did, and she could swear Jon faltered when he saw the mistletoe hanging just above them, while Dany just stood there, eyes big and mouth agape. She pulled on her hand to make her come to her level, and then pecked her cheek, “Merry Christmas, Dany. I am happy I met you today.”

 

“Aww, honeycakes, you are so precious. Merry Christmas to you too,” she pecked her right cheek, and Arya turned red, unused to such attentions.

 

“Now, you, Jon,” she turned to her brother.

 

He nervously chuckled and kneeled, pecking her, “Merry Christmas, world’s best sister.”

 

“Not me, silly, _her_ ” – she said, pointing to Dany. He looked up at her, and Arya could swear Jon was either trying to get out of it or make up a good excuse as to why not to do it.

 

“Arya, I don’t think Dany would appreciate that,” he tripped over his words. Arya laughed, because really seeing her brother so goofy and clumsy was something very new and she was now sure it was all because of the beautiful girl staring at them in awe.

 

“Look, I will even leave the room if you want, but maybe ask her first, ok?” and with that she left, but stopped on the stairs, just out of their line of vision but where she could still hear and see them.

 

“We don’t have to do this, my sister is young and she doesn’t think such things through,” he tried explaining.

 

“Jon, it’s ok. I don’t mind,” Dany smiled and got closer.

 

Arya had to contain a squeal, _yes yes yes they are going to kiss!_

 

He inhaled deeply, and stepped closer to her. He then put his hands on her waist, and she put hers on his chest; he looked in her eyes, leaned in, _very close to her lips_ , and whispered what Arya thought sounded like “Merry Christmas” and then his lips touched hers and her arms circled behind his neck, and she kissed him harder. It went on for a bit and Arya had to run up to her room to scream into her pillow. She was that happy for her brother – she wanted to scream it from the rooftops. She calmed down and went to check in on them. They were clearing the table, both had huge smiles plastered on their faces, their lips red – from kissing, she assumed.

 

“So, can we watch a Christmas movie?” she innocently asked.

 

“Sure, it’s still early,” Jon said.

 

So she went and picked the movie, took out some throw blankets and made herself comfortable in the her dad’s armchair, leaving the couch all to Dany and Jon. They came back with hot cocoa and popcorn, and as she planned, they sat on the couch, although not as close as she hoped they would.

 

 

She must have fallen asleep, because she woke up in the middle of the night, in her bed and PJs. The house was quiet, and as she made her way downstairs, only the blue light of the TV illuminated the living room, its volume faintly above a whisper. She found her brother and Dany sleeping on the couch, quite close to each other, her head resting on his shoulder, and his face snuggled on the top of her head. ‘Operation Cupid’ had been a success. Happy with herself, she went back to sleep.

 

Morning came in and she wanted to surprise Dany and Jon, who were still sleeping on the couch, although now they were fully into each other’s arms. So she started on some breakfast for them, mostly sandwiches made with the previous night’s leftovers, hot cocoa and orange juice. Suddenly, keys jiggled in the front door lock, and she didn’t have enough time to react, because her entire family burst into the house.

 

“Arya!!! Arya!!! My baby!! By the Seven!!!” her mother’s voice rang through the house. She ran as fast as she could in her arms, tears running down her cheeks, and hugged her tighter than she ever had. 

 

“Momma! Merry Christmas, momma! You’re here!”

 

“I am here, my love! I am so sorry!” her mom cried and hugged her tighter.

 

Soon she was being picked up by everyone else – her dad, Robb, Benjen, Bran and Rickon, and lastly, Sansa. “I was so worried about you!”

 

“Sansa, I am so sorry I have been mean to you,” she added, hugging her sister close.

 

“That’s a first,” she heard her dad chuckle.

 

“But, mom, the trip? What about that?”

 

“Oh, honey, we just asked for a refund. We didn’t want to spend Christmas without you. There’s always next year to do it – with you, of course.”

 

“I will try to see if there’s any shop open, we have nothing to eat and we are starved,” uncle Blackfish offered.

 

“But I went shopping yesterday,” Arya explained.

 

They all stared at her. “You went shopping?” Sansa asked.

 

“Yes, I got milk, eggs and fabric softener. And Dany helped me cook dinner.”

 

“Dany, who’s Dany?” Robb mussed her hair.

 

Just then, Dany and Jon appeared from the living room. “That would be me,” Dany said, waving. “Nice to finally meet everyone.”

 

They all greeted her and shuffled into the kitchen for breakfast. Arya was happy – not only did she defend her house, but she also made new friends, got her family back and managed to get Jon a girlfriend. It was the best Christmas she could have asked for.

 

As she went to close the door, snow started falling again, and across the street, Mr. Baratheon was building a snowman with his daughter and his wife. She waved and he waved back, smiling.

 

Suddenly, Sansa's voice echoed through the house. “Arya! What did you do to my room?”

 

She cringed. _Oh, right, she totally forgot to put Sansa’s stuff away after she snooped_ … She ran into the kitchen, hiding behind Dany and Jon, her only allies in this, hoping Sansa would forgive her sooner than later.

 

**Author's Note:**

> A big thank you to everyone who participated in the event this year, now go read all the fics! Happy Holidays!


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